Straight-laced missionary Sarah Fisher has never met a man like Captain Martin Bouchard. He is the most beautiful person—male or female—she’s ever seen. Overwhelmingly masculine, elegantly attired despite months at sea, he is in complete command of everyone and everything around him. Then Sarah makes Martin an offer that he simply can not believe.
In spite of her outrageous offer, Martin has no doubt Sarah is a virgin, and a most delectable one at that. But instead of bedding her, he finds himself staring down the muzzle of his own pistol.

How will this tale of pirates slave runners and a missionary virgin end?
I had not read any of this series so all of these characters were new to me.
This book is not written in my favorite trope but I found myself drawn in none the less. The story is a lush one full of sexy characters that makes you want for more.
I gave this book 4 of 5 stars for story line and characterization. If I had read other books in this series I may have given it a higher rating.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book to read via NetGalley.
This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I have been following Martin from the beginning and knew he would make a fantastic hero. I was not wrong. This story, like the others in this series, takes me back to old-fashioned romances. Pirates, women who need their help, villains and lots of exotic locales. These stories are fun. There is a lot of angst which I totally love. Martin is amazing and Sarah is feisty and holds her own against Martin. Their journey starts and becomes more passionate and loving with each new thing they learn. Yes, they have to deal with a lot of differences and secrets but you can feel their bond growing. I know this is a full-length novel but I could have kept reading about them.

Martin Bouchard, Captain of the Golden Scythe, privateer for England has captured a Dutch ship that is most certainly a slaver. As a former slave, Martin lives to capture and punish slavers and in the process has become a very rich man. When he enters the room to parlay with the captain of the Blue Bird, he is shocked to see one of the people waiting is a woman. Sarah Fisher was taken along with all the people in her village during a slaver raid – she is the daughter of missionaries and is trying to convince Martin to forgo the prize and let everyone go. She even goes as far as to hold him at gunpoint and to offer herself in exchange.

Martin just wants to get rid of Sarah and the annoying captain Mies Graaf, but soon finds out that he will not be getting his prize and must transport Mies and Sarah back to England. Along the way he gets to know Sarah and she teaches him to read and write. She is falling hard for him – just like every woman with eyes does – but he keeps pushing her away.

As the story progresses the reader learns much more about Martin and his past, which explains a lot of his behavior, but failed to make me like him – he is just such a jerk – he is arrogant, vain and cruel. Why Sarah loved him is beyond me. I mean what’s not to love about a hero that is snide, rude, hurtful and runs off to brothels every chance he gets? Or one that sends a letter explaining everything and then leaves England without the heroine? I really tried to forgive him, but every time he had a chance to win me over, he blew it. I remember him being a bit cocky in the previous book, but not like this. Upside, we got to reunite with Hugh, Daphne, Mia, Adam and Jabril (Gabriel) from the previous books and that was wonderful. I struggled to rate this story, it was well written, flowed nicely, has steamy love scenes, interesting historical details about the slave trade, great secondary characters and a sweet epilogue. But Martin and Sarah were not my favorite couple and their “romance” just fell flat for me. This is the third book in the series, and I HIGHLY recommend the previous books, but neither are necessary to read to enjoy this book.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher.*

Book Title: Scandalous
Author: Minerva Spencer
Publishing Date: September 25, 2019

***ARC provided to me by the publisher for a fair and honest review***

Overview: 5/5 an ex slave turned boat Captain finds himself transporting a very particular lady.

Heroine (Sarah Fisher): 3.5/5 she is the only daughter of a pair of missionaries that were based in Africa. She loves doing things for the good of others and has a very big heart.

Hero (Martín Bouchard): 3/5 He was born a slave in New Orleans but escaped to a new life of owning a boat that rescued from that fate. He is very reserved and skeptical of people treating him kindly.

Plot: 3/5 Sarah is taken by slavers and forced onto a boat and it is some weeks before the Golden Scythe shows up to rescue them. By chance the captain and Sarah engage in parlay with the fierce Captain Bouchard. He takes them captive and Sarah offers herself to him in a bargain to save some of the crew. Will either of them be content with only one night?

Personal Review: I liked Sarah but I think she has rather poor taste in men. If half the story wasn’t from Martín’s POV then there is nothing that he does that should encourage her feelings for him. He’s rather rude to her for almost the whole story. I get that the vibe was to present him as dangerous but redeemable but really he’s just dangerous and not very nice. His background does not excuse his behavior toward his friends or Sarah.

What an excellent surprise! I went into this book with some hesitation because, at first glance, Minerva Spencer’s heroes are too rakish, irredeemable, and unapologetic for me. In this case, I’m the fool for judging way too quickly, and I’m so happy to be proven wrong!

This is the third in the Outcasts series, and this is all Martin Bouchard’s story. His heroine is surprising, a missionary in Africa, but I was so quickly swept up in their story that I couldn’t sleep until I finished. (And the intimate scenes were delicious!)

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I found Minerva Spencer by accident and am so glad I did! Her first two books were seriously-old-school historical romances - lush, sexy, deep characters and great stories! This third one was more of the that and so much more! Loved seeing an aspect of history not usually seen (diverse characters) and a great romance. Brava!

This book was so so close to being an all time favorite. I loved the beginning of this book so much! But the middle and end lost it for me and it never really recovered. This is the third book of Minerva Spencer's Outcasts series, the first being Dangerous and the second being Barbarous. I have overall enjoyed all the 3 books. If you've never tried her before I find I enjoy her writing. Shes rather witty, some parts are mildy humerous, she tends to cover strong topics and has unique scenery, characters and stories.

Sarah was raised in an African village with her missionary parents. Her parents died 2 years prior and she has stayed in the village helping with medicine (although I wouldn't say she's a doctor). She is captured with members of her village by a slaver ship and held in the hold.

Sarahs personality was feisty for sure. She doesn't have a problem with confrontation and holds numerous men at gun point. I felt like her character was okay. I didn't get a ton of character depth to her. I felt like I didn't really know her that well after the book was done. I felt like I couldn't understand why she was in love with hero with their interactions. I also was curious why her Christianity made her really think about forgiving others and refusing to take anyone's life yet she was a total wanton. I mean, I'm not complaining, I didn't mind it but it was just a little weird for these character traits I guess.

Martin was a character I really liked. Arrogant, vain, with a short temper, seething with jealousy. Thats my thing, terrible I know. He is such a damaged character and has overcome so much. I felt like Sarah could have really healed him yet it turned into more enemies to lovers as the book progresses. To me they just stayed enemies way too long. Refusing to share their feelings until the very end of the book, fighting tooth and nail until then. They both can be rather cruel to each other in their words because they don't understand each other's feelings. I guess by the end of the book I was hoping to see more of their relationship as solid and that they were perfect for each other. While I'm not left unhappy, especially with the epilogue, I just felt like I never got to see how they were going to WORK together and that was important with everything Martin has gone through.

The first half of this book is so much my favorite. It takes place on board Martins ship and its just wonderful. Its tension filled, hot, the first kiss was so steamy, I adored it. Sarah helps teach Martin and it was such a wonderful part of the book. But as the book goes on and they continue to fight, I feel like the tension and relationship starts to fade. They are separated and when they are together they don't really talk. Both are having interactions with other people and I just prefer my couples to be together. And interacting. And talking. And other stuff. Wink wink. I love Spencer's sex scenes but in this book there was a long dry spell and it kind of killed the story for me. I love that tension to keep it going, there doesn't have to be a ton of sex. I also was getting tired of Martin by the end and his lack of action towards a relationship with Sarah.

I really liked that this book is different. It deals with some serious issues of slave trade and abuse. The hero is a former slave and illegitimate son of his owner. The heroine is an African missionary. A very unlikely pairing. It is an intriguing story and there were plenty of opportunities for character development. I liked the inclusion of characters from the previous two books in the series.

This books did not appeal to me to way it seems to appeal to other readers. I think this is a personal preference difference, not a commentary on the writing. I didn't like the anger and misunderstandings between the hero and heroine that lasted through 80% or more of the book. The characters did not have much of a chance to build a strong relationship within the confines of the book. It went from anger and distrust to seemingly lasting love virtually overnight. I also felt the story was a little slow in places.

I liked the book and I admire the author's efforts to deal with some difficult content. It just didn't click with me on the relationship level.

Words cannot explain how much this story moved me and took a hold of my heart. It is so well written and deserving more than 5 stars, in my opinion.

Martin Bouchard is not only exceedingly handsome and rich, his past has made him who he is today and that past is rapidly catching up to him. Sarah Fisher, daughter of missionaries in Africa, finds herself on a ship with hundreds of slaves, set to be sold to the highest bidders. Martin succeeds in capturing the slave ship and giving the slaves their freedom....what follows is a story filled with drama, adventure, heated passions, heartache, friendships, and so much more.

I was given an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I enjoyed the first two books in The Outcasts series by Minerva Spencer and was looking forward to reading Scandalous. This is Martin Bouchard's book whom we've met previously. He was such a fascinating character in the earlier books, I was very much looking forward to his story, and I truly enjoyed it. Sparks fly when Martin meets Sarah, a missionary woman, on a board of a slaver ship where she makes a deal with him to save her people. They are total opposites, their chemistry is explosive, and they butt heads a lot but ultimately fall in love. I must say Martin came across as a jerk at times, but when his backstory is revealed, his behavior makes more sense.

The Outcasts is such a fun historical romance series; each time I finish a book, I look forward to the next one. The next book, Notorious, is Gabriel's story, which I have been waiting for since book one, and it makes me very excited and impatient at the same time.

Scandalous is the third book in Minerva Spencer’s series The Outcasts, and it takes as its hero Martín Etienne Bouchard, the beautiful , enigmatic and seductive privateer who was introduced in the previous book, Barbarous. Ms. Spencer’s sophisticated, precise prose continues to impress, as does her ability to tell a compelling story and create complex characters, but something about the principals and romance in Scandalous didn’t quite gel for me.  The heroine is determined and independent of spirit in a way that feels perfectly right for the story and the period, but the hero, while he has a truly traumatising backstory, spends much of the novel behaving like an emotionally stunted adolescent. The author skilfully makes the reader aware that there are good reasons for Martín’s behaviour and actually manages (sometimes) to make him into a fairly sympathetic character - even before we find out the true extent of what he went through (which doesn’t happen until fairly near the end) - but there were still times I came perilously close to losing patience with him.

Martín Bouchard is a former slave who is now a wealthy privateer who has built himself a fearsome reputation as a cold, hard killer who was more concerned with his cravat that his life. Not surprisingly, Martín hates those who buy and sell slaves with a passion, so he has little sympathy for the crew of the Blue Bird, a Dutch Ship with a hold full of slaves, when he captures it off Africa’s Gold Coast.

The daughter of missionaries, Sarah Fisher was born in Africa – in the village of N’Goe - where she’s lived all her life.  Her parents died after contracting a sickness that killed many in the village, and since their deaths some two years earlier, Sarah has acted as the village’s healer.  When the slavers arrived in N’Goe and captured all its inhabitants, Sarah went with them, which is how she comes to be aboard the Blue Bird when it is attacked by the Golden Scythe, a British privateer, at the same time as the crew is on the verge of mutiny.

To try to avert the latter, Sarah and the ship’s captain Mies Graaf go aboard the Golden Scythe to parlay with its captain – who is the most beautiful man Sarah has ever seen.  But Captain Bouchard is as intractable as he is handsome; he refuses to allow the Blue Bird to return to port to return its ‘cargo’ and has no patience with Graaf’s protests that the slaves were purchased without his consent or knowledge.

When the woman who accompanied Graaf enters the discussion, Martín finds himself liking her spirit as well as the way the snug breeches she’s wearing are clinging to her legs.  He’s far more used to women throwing themselves at his feet than arguing with him and prefers it that way – although the way this particular woman refuses to back down certainly enlivens the discussion; she’s not especially attractive in the way Martín usually appreciates, but he’s nonetheless sufficiently interested to suggest he’ll show mercy to the crew of the Blue Bird if she’ll share his bed.  But when what should have been a night of pleasure is interrupted and Martín finds himself looking down the barrel of his own pistol, he decides Sarah is more trouble than she’s worth and just wants to get her off his ship.

Roughly half the book is taken up with the journey to England, and the rest sees Sarah connecting with long-lost relatives and deciding what she wants to do with her life.  Throughout the story, Sarah and Martín move towards each other and then away in a continual (and frustrating) dance, Martín clearly infatuated with Sarah and in deep denial about it, Sarah telling herself a man like Martín can’t possibly be interested in a woman like her.  Martín hates the way Sarah seems able to see through his tough outer shell to the parts of himself he’s carefully hidden away and tries desperately to convince himself he wants nothing more than to be rid of her.  He continually pushes Sarah away, treating her with disdain and wounding her with insults and rudeness.  But Sarah keeps trying to reach him – certainly going beyond the point at which my patience would have snapped! – with kindness and compassion, until someone tells her that Martin doesn’t react well to either of those things and that she should instead treat him as badly as he has treated her if she really wants to get through his defences.  After they arrive in England things between them don’t change much.  Martín keeps trying to keep his distance, but gets all caveman when other men take an interest in Sarah; he keeps trying (and failing – little Martín refuses to perform with anyone except her) to assuage his lust elsewhere, and telling himself she’ll despise him if she finds out the truth about his past.  He seems to prefer to wallow in his own fears of inadequacy than to see what’s under his nose and acknowledge the truth of Sarah’s feelings for him and his for her.

Minerva Spencer is a gifted storyteller and in Scandalous, has crafted a compelling and very readable tale featuring characters who, while not particularly likeable, are flawed and complex.  But no matter how well characterised or how vibrantly written – and both those things are true here – a romance stands or falls upon how the hero and heroine interact, how strong the chemistry is between them and on readers being able to buy into their relationship -  and I’m afraid that’s where the book falls down.  The author does a good job of making it clear that Martín is a very damaged individual, but his poor behaviour towards Sarah goes on for too long, and by the time he finally does start to show a bit of maturity, it’s too little too late. (I actually felt as though he’d had an overnight personality transplant.) He spends most of the book denying his attraction to Sarah – an attraction I never quite understood – and actively avoiding her; and while Sarah is an admirable character to start with – strong, determined and courageous – as the story progressed, I couldn’t understand what she actually saw in Martín and what drove her to forgive him over and over again other than his looks and abilities between the sheets.

Scandalous is obviously going to be polarising as some readers will be completely turned off by Martín’s behaviour towards Sarah, while others will be prepared to cut him some slack given his traumatic background. It’s not a perfect novel by any means, but it stands out from the current – rather disappointing - crop of historical romances due to its superb prose, well-developed characters, and interesting and unusual plotline.  I’d have rated it more highly had the romance been more convincing and the leads more appealing, but ultimately, it engaged me and held my attention for the duration, so I’m giving it a cautious recommendation.

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As the upstanding, moral daughter of English missionaries to Africa, Sarah Fisher has never met anyone like the compellingly beautiful Captain Martín Bouchard. When the privateer captures the slave ship Sarah was captured on, she offers the only thing available to her to ensure the captain's mercy on the Dutch crew: her body.

Martín knows women and recognizes Sarah for the innocent she is, but instead of an educational night in bed, he winds up at the wrong end of his own pistol and desirous only of removing the bothersome woman from his ship. Even worse, she sees parts of him he's managed to keep well-hidden and the more time he's forced to spend with the irritating woman, the more he finds himself looking for ways to keep her with him in spite of his scandalous past.

I have such mixed feelings about this book and I think it's because I really didn't like either the hero or the heroine, although they were indeed perfect for each other. The hero was just as arrogant and pig-headed as the heroine accused him of being, but for her part, she was quite judgmental and shrewish much of the time, and just as stubborn. This was a slow burn between these two because of their communication issues, and also due to how very damaged Martín was, but that did fit the characters to a tee. Even though I didn't even really like them, I was still rooting for them to get it together and it was so satisfying when they finally did.

This book was exquisitely well-written and handled some very difficult topics beautifully and for that it's getting five stars. I can't wait for the next one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first read by Minerva and I have to say I really enjoyed this one! Very unique and original from historical romances I normally read. The story flowed very well and I loved how much depth Minerva wrote the story. Martina and Sarah are both likable characters. I absolutely love this covers and plan on checking more of her work.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I love the swashbuckling adventure in Minerva Spencer’s books but it’s her compelling characters that keep me coming back. Scandalous is no exception. Sarah is a missionary, capable of taking care of herself, eager to care for others, and used to taking charge. This does not sit well with Martin, a former slave and now privateer, whose ship she seems to be taking over. Martin’s past makes him suspicious of Sarah’s kindness and he reacts by lashing out. Regardless, they have a steamy chemistry and mixed with Sarah’s patience and persistence, it leads them to an achingly slow and beautiful meeting of the minds and hearts. I could not put this one down.

This is the third book in Minerva Spencer's OUTCASTS series but it is a standalone novel if you haven't read the first two books. But, go ahead, read the first two wonderful books in this series also. This book, and the series, is full of action, adventure, romance on the high seas and the London ballrooms.

Martin Bouchard is a privateer whose mission is to stop any ship that is transporting slaves from Africa. Martin was once a slave until he was rescued by another privateer and set to work on a ship. Now Martin has amassed a fortune working for the British. He is captain of his own ship. He is fastidious in his dress which is amusing to his crew but he is not to be trifled with for he is a dangerous man. A man with a secret.
Sarah Fisher, the orphaned daughter of missionaries in Africa, has been captured along with members of her village and thrown into the hold of a slave traders ship. She is summoned to help the ship's ailing Captain Graff with her healing abilities when the ship is captured by Martin's ship. Graff takes her to the meeting with Martin and they both become prisoners until Martin can turn Graff over to the authorities.

As much as I've enjoyed this entire series, this book was not my favorite. Perhaps because of the slave trading angle, Martin's horror filled past and his constant bullying of Sarah. I could not find what the attraction was for Sarah. It was hardly romantic but then Martin spent a great deal of his time denying his attraction. It was also hard to believe that Sarah, after being raised in an African village, could so easily fit into the London Season with only a few dance lessons.

The writing is top notch and characterization spot on. Having been introduced to Martin in an earlier book, it was good to read his story. Yes, I can recommend this book, only not as highly as the others in the series.

I love Minerva Spencer's books. This was a great book and I enjoyed Sarah and Martin's story. Both misfits trying to find a way to love each other and both are stubborn as can be. Anyone who is a fan of ships in their novel will enjoy this book.

Spencer deals sensitively with slavery in this well-researched romance between a young English woman raised in Africa and a privateer captain of mixed race and with a legal checkered past because of his entirely justifiable method of removing himself from enslavement. I hope readers use this look inside the Atlantic world of the early 19th century to further embrace research like the 1619 project and understand the insidious horror of slavery.

This is the third book in Minerva Spencer's exciting series. However, it was my least favorite. Characters from the first two books get shoehorned into the middle section, slowing down the plot immensely. The parts about slavery are difficult to read, especially when the majority of characters are white; that seemed like a strange choice. The romance doesn't sizzle as much as her previous novels, but the writing is always excellent.

Captain Martin Bouchard started life as a slave but has risen in the world to helm his own ship, which hunts and captures slavers to free their human cargo. When he encounters such a vessel and discovers an English missionary’s intrepid, irritating daughter aboard, he can’t help but be intrigued. Sarah has spent her whole life in Africa, but finds herself suddenly on her way to England with the handsome, arrogant captain. With weeks on the ship together, the two are drawn together even as they resist.

This was an emotional ride. Both Martin and Sarah have trauma in their pasts, which affect their relationship. As with the two previous books in the series, there’s a shift in tone near the end toward an adventurous climax. But overall, an entertaining read.

Very good story. Ms. Spencer delves into the background of the characters, and as a result, you have a good understanding of them.